A strong start to a season has many benefits. The obvious one is winning games, but there are other important aspects. Players deal with adversity throughout the year, whether it be through injury or bad luck. A good start can help them think positively and overcome tough moments later in the season.
A good start to a year can also set a tone for the team going forward. The goal of every NBA team is to make it deep into the playoffs and be successful in the postseason tournament. In order to do this, they need to have faith in themselves and the system they are playing. A fast start can give them this mental edge, which can help push them to the front of the pack during their conference.
This is well known, especially for the Golden State Warriors squad of the 2015-16 season. What they did that year made history and will be remembered as one of the greatest teams in the NBA.
Golden State Warriors 2015-16
Before the 2014-2015 season, Golden State Warriors hadn’t won championships for 52 years. It was the beginning of a new era in the NBA, the dawn of the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, and the true emergence of the new dynasty.
Best Team in NBA History
The Warriors had already four regular-season wins, coming in the 2015-16 season as defending champions. Their winning streak lasted another 24 consecutive games. They finally lost a game to the Milwaukee Bucks, but clearly, it wasn’t the end.
Coached by Steve Kerr, the team was led by Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, both of them being huge scoring threats. To add to this remarkable season, they crushed Memphis Grizzlies with a 125-104 score and broke the win-loss record with 73-9 (previously held by 1995-96 Chicago Bulls).
NBA Championship
There is no doubt that the Warriors had the best season in league history, but this beautiful hero journey doesn’t have a happy ending. They lost the final game to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
True Warriors
Golden State Warriors became the first team to never lose a game back to back, never lose to the same team twice, the first team and the only team in the NBA to achieve a 73-9 regular-season record.
Stephen Curry became the first unanimous winner of the MVP award and he got the top scorer title. During the season, Curry averaged 30.1 points per game with .504 field goal percentage, making 5.1 three-pointers per game. In addition, Curry scored over 45 points in six games and gave the Warriors fans moments like a buzzer-beater against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Houston Rockets 1993-94
The Houston Rockets season 1993-94 had one of the most impressive season starts of the century. Houston Rockets went into the season tying the most wins since the Washington Capitols in 1948-49.
They started off with 15 consecutive wins and were stopped by the Atlanta Hawks in December. This little drawback wasn’t worrying for the Rockets and they went on with seven more consecutive wins. Unfortunately, they lost their momentum, even having four back-to-back losses at some point of the season.
NBA Championship
But the road to victory wasn’t finished for the Houston Rockets. They rose like a phoenix from the ashes and with their head high managed to destroy the New York Knicks in a final game.
This was also a great year for the Houston Rockets superstar, Hakeem Olajuwon. He was awarded the NBA Most Valuable Player Award, NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award, and NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award.
Washington Capitols 1948-49
Back in the old days, when the NBA was called BAA and the players were mostly white ex-plumbers, the Washington Capitols set the record for consecutive wins, being the first team in NBA (well, BAA) to win 15 games at the start of the season. The longest winning streak of its time was stopped by the Indianapolis Jets.
NBA History
Those days, the teams didn’t train so much and they were overall less athletic. The players didn’t get paid, so they treated basketball more like a hobby. Despite BAA not being so professional, there were good players back then and one of them was Bob Feerick, who managed to get himself into All-BAA Second Team.
NBA Finals
Washington Capitols were coached by Red Auerbach, who had an innovative approach and made their players train before the championships, not only during them. This was reflected in Washington Capitols winning the Eastern Conference and ultimately becoming a runner up to the Minneapolis Lakers.
Dallas Mavericks 2002-2003
The Dallas Mavericks started the season very strongly with 14 consecutive wins, losing the 15th to the Indiana Pacers. Despite not winning the championships, the season was successful for such individuals as Steve Nash who made the West All-Star team again and Dirk Nowitzki who surpassed 2000 points scored in one season.
Dirk’s Injury
To the end of the season, the Dallas Mavericks journey was full of obstacles and bumps. Dirk Nowitzki had an injury and the team’s run was ultimately finished, when they had to face the San Antonio Spurs without him.
Boston Celtics 1957-58
The late 1950s were the time the Boston Celtics dynasty emerged so it’s not surprising that they went on long winning streaks from the beginning of the regular season. This squad is to this day known as one of the best in league history and the statistics prove it.
The Dynasty
With absolute legends such as Bill Russell (who won MVP that year) and Bob Cousy, the team was dead set on defending their title and started the season with 12 consecutive wins.
Unfortunately, the Boston Celtics fell short of the St. Louis Hawks but managed to regain their domination in the following years.
Chicago Bulls 1996-97
Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls were definitely a team to beat. With the head coach Phil Jackson, they crushed their opponents, giving amazing performances that took the public by heart up to the last minutes of the game. The star squad started the 1996-97 season with 12 straight games won.
Second NBA Championship in a Row
The winning streak was stopped by the Utah Jazz, but in the end, the Bulls made a historic regular season. The team consisted of All-Stars, not only Michael Jordan but also Scottie Pippen, Steve Kerr, Dennis Rodman, and former Boston Celtic’s star Rober Parrish. Another outcome of the season would be unthinkable, and the 1996-97 Bulls are considered to be the best squad in franchise history.
Seattle Supersonics 1982-183
Seattle Supersonics are proof that a great start can be simply attributed to luck. Not like the teams mentioned before, Supersonics’ success was short-lived and they didn’t go very far when the 12 consecutive matches winning streak was over by the hand of the New Jersey Nets. They came up fourth in the Western Conference and were destroyed by the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA playoffs.
Few Last Words
Those seasons are forever part of the NBA history, with some of the players setting unbeatable and unthinkable franchise records. Watching your favorite team win and setting an NBA record is always better than them barely making it to the Western Conference Finals. And if your favorites make NBA finals appearances, the season gets even better!
When did the NBA start playing 82 games?
The NBA season has been 82 games long since 1967-68.
What’s the best NBA season record ever?
The Golden State Warriors hold the best record for the most wins in an NBA season in 2015–16, when they won 73 games and only lost 9. It is their franchise record.
Who did the 73-9 Warriors lose to?
- Milwaukee: 33–49, missed playoffs
- Dallas: 42–40, west 6th-seed
- Denver: 33–49, missed playoffs
- Detroit: 44–38, east 8th-seed
- Portland: 44–38, west 5th-seed
- LA Lakers: 17–65, missed playoffs
- San Antonio: 67–15, west 2nd-seed
- Boston: 48–34, east 5th-seed
- Minnesota: 29–53, missed playoffs
What NBA team has had a perfect season?
The Golden State Warriors came the closest any NBA team has ever come to an undefeated regular season in 2015-16, with only 9 losses.
